Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
“Hate these meds,” Clover murmurs wearily as she swallows and lies back on her pillow.
Blue strokes her hair from her forehead. “I can see why. They’re not being very good to you.”
“No, they’re not.” Her bottom lip pushes out. “The toilet was eating puppies. A whole litter. And laughing the entire time. I hate that toilet.”
“I hate that toilet, too,” Blue says, making Clover’s lips twitch.
“It sounds silly when you say it,” she says, the words slurring into a yawn. “I’m so tired.”
“Go back to sleep.” Blue draws the blanket up to her shoulders. “I’ll stay and watch the toilet for a while. Make sure it behaves itself so you can rest.”
“Thank you, Blue.” She sighs, her lids sliding shut as she whispers, “You’re a good one.”
He is.
Blue is a good one, maybe even a great one. And if he’s half as sweet to his child as he’s being to Clover right now, he’s going to be a wonderful father.
I’m so happy that he wants to be a part of our baby’s life.
I’m just not sure I want that to be as my boyfriend. It’s going to be hard enough learning how to parent together. Do we really want to add being a brand-new couple to the learning curve?
If we’d started earlier, maybe. But we only have a few months until Bean is here, and it’s not like we’ll be spending that in a vacuum, where we have plenty of time to focus on building a strong foundation for a relationship. We’ll be taking care of Clover while working demanding, full-time jobs.
I’m supposed to do a photo shoot on Saturday that’s scheduled to run from dusk ‘til dawn, and I’ll likely need to sleep most of the next day to recover. Not to mention long days at the studio putting the finishing touches on the album. And Blue’s game and travel schedule is only going to get more hectic as the season progresses.
Heck, that’s probably a couple of weeks of our time left alone together gone right there! It’s way better if we keep things friendly. And if that friendship includes “benefits”? Fabulous.
And if not…
Well, then, I’ll respect the fact that casual sex isn’t what Blue’s looking for, and we’ll move on like adults who are focused on what’s best for their child.
A part of me knows I’m reaching. If I wanted to jump into a “second chance” with Blue—though, honestly, I can’t see that we’ve had a “first chance.” We had a friendship, then a one-night stand. We were never a couple—I certainly could.
But I was telling the truth when I said I’m not the woman who dreamed of Blue sweeping her off her feet anymore.
I’m a woman who’s ready to stand on her own feet.
At least one of them…
Quietly, I turn away from Clover’s door and hobble back down the hall. I fetch my crutches, gather Blue’s remaining clothes from my bed, and leave them folded by the door to his room. Then I shut my door and head for the shower. The evidence of the things Blue and I did washes away easily enough, but the memories linger long after I’ve turned off the lights.
The well-used feeling between my legs, the smell of him on my sheets, the soft stirrings outside as he gets ready for bed—they make it impossible to think of anything but the man in my guest room.
The father of my baby.
The guy I probably shouldn’t have ravaged like a feral shipwreck victim, who hasn’t seen a man in years.
Mistakes may have been made.
I guess we’ll see when the sun rises on mine and Blue’s first morning as unexpected roommates…
Chapter Fourteen
BLUE
I’m at the beach, but not a familiar one.
The sand beneath the blanket is as fine as any Gulf shoreline, but the grassy dunes rising around me are unfamiliar. The smell of the shore is different, too, a mixture of clean, cold saltwater and something lightly floral that reminds me of a luxury perfume.
It’s a fresh, sexy scent, but nothing compared to the smell of her.
The taste of her…
I hum my appreciation against her slick pussy, pretty sure there’s nothing better in life than this. Than my woman about to come on my mouth while the waves crash against the sand on this deserted shoreline. Than her fingers tangled in my hair, holding me close as she rocks against my mouth.
“Right there,” she says, sucking in a sharper breath as I needle my tongue up and under her clit. “Yes. God, yes.” She curls her fingers around the back of my neck, pinning me tighter between her legs. “Harder. And don’t you dare stop.”
I devote myself even more fully to my worship, assuring her with a low groan that I have no intentions of stopping, not until she’s screaming my name loud enough to startle the birds hunting crabs by the water.